The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday, October 28, announced that bursting of firecrackers will be allowed only till 10 pm in the city on Diwali.
The civic body has also issued a notification urging Mumbaikars to celebrate Deepavali in an environment-friendly manner.
This development comes as Mumbai’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has been constantly dipping over the past week.
In statement, BMC stated, “To keep a check on air and noise pollution, timing for the bursting crackers has been limited till 10 pm in Mumbai on the day of Diwali. Citizens are urged to burst crackers that would cause minimum sound and air pollution.”
The civic body has also appealed that safety of children and senior citizens must be a priority. “Crackers must be burst in open areas and not in narrow lanes or crowded places. Make sure to keep water and sand handy for safety,” the statement read.
The civic body has also deployed monitoring squads in all the 26 municipal wards to keep an eye on violators flouting dust mitigation norms.
Also Read: Diwali 2024: Mumbai Police Bans Sky Lantern, Limits Use of Firecrackers Citing Safety Concerns
Here are the things to keep in mind:
Dos:
Don'ts:
The civic body has conducted a public awareness campaign regarding fireworks at 167 places in Mumbai. This year too, while undertaking this campaign, there will be more emphasis on public awareness, especially in the slums. In case of fire incident, call 101 or municipal helpline number 1916 to inform immediately.
In the last eight months, 3,192 fire incidents have been reported to the Mumbai fire brigade. In this, eight people died and 113 people were injured. Among the injured are three firemen.
Faulty wiring, careless smoking or lack of care in extinguishing it, cylinder explosion, stove flare-up etc. can cause fire. Western suburbs recorded the highest number of fire incidents.